1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cellular phone holding devices, and more particularly, to a cellular phone holding device that frictionally fits within a beverage holder of a vehicle to hold the cellular phone while it is not in use. The present invention is ideally suited for use in automobiles, vans, trucks, golf-carts, boats, etc. and virtually eliminates the need for vehicle drivers to tend to unsupported articles such as, for example, cellular phones, beepers and the like during operation of the vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As a highly mobile society, we are constantly looking for new ways to carry out our everyday activities while traveling. Consider, for example, drive-through food, portable computers, cellular telephones, beepers and the like. However, the hazards of engaging in such distracting activities while operating a vehicle, be it a car, truck, boat, or whatever, are obvious. Consequently, various holders and holding devices have been invented that permit relatively undistracted operation of the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,745,565 to Wakefield describes a combination beverage and cellular phone holder that fits into a vehicle beverage holder. The device disclosed is intended primarily as a beverage holder and includes an insert that will hold a cellular phone. The insert includes a top having a generally rectangular opening defined therethrough which includes a resilient part for holding a cellular phone in the insert. Without the insert, the Wakefield device could not hold a cellular phone or other electronics device securely within the vehicle beverage holder.
Beverage holders having a wider top section and a narrow bottom section are generally known in the art. For example U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,523 to Bridges discloses two such beverage holders. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,649 to Hunnicutt discloses a beverage holder adaptor having a tapered lower portion to facilitate its use in variously dimensioned vehicle beverage receptacles. However, neither Bridges nor Hunnicutt discloses a cellular phone holding device that fits securely into a vehicle beverage holder.
In light of the foregoing, there exists the need for a cellular phone holder that overcomes these shortcomings of the prior art.
The present invention provides a device for holding a cellular telephone in a vehicle beverage holder that virtually eliminates the need to attend to the cellular telephone while it is not in use. Consequently, the cellular phone is held securely in place when not in use and the vehicle operator is free from the distraction of having to locate, secure, or otherwise keep track of the cellular phone while operating the vehicle.
In a first embodiment of the present invention, a device for holding a cellular telephone in a vehicle beverage holder comprises a partially pliable cylindrical body having a weighted bottom and an outer wall extending substantially perpendicularly upward therefrom and defining a substantially uniform outer diameter of the device. The cylindrical body has a cavity defined therein that tapers generally inward and that extends substantially downward from a top surface of the cylindrical body. The tapered cavity preferably frictionally holds the cellular telephone in the device. The outer diameter of the device is larger than the inner diameter of the vehicle beverage holder so that the outer wall of the cylindrical body frictionally engages the inner wall of the vehicle beverage holder to hold the device when it is placed in the vehicle beverage holder.
In a second embodiment of the present invention, a device for holding a cellular telephone in a vehicle beverage holder comprises a partially pliable cylindrical body having a top section having an outer wall that defines an outer diameter and a bottom section having an outer wall that defines an outer diameter that is less than the top section outer diameter. The cylindrical body has a cavity defined therein that tapers generally inward and that extends substantially downward from a top surface of the cylindrical body. The tapered cavity preferably frictionally holds the cellular telephone in the device. The bottom section outer diameter is preferably larger than the inner diameter of the vehicle beverage holder so that the outer wall of the bottom section of the cylindrical body frictionally engages the inner wall of the vehicle beverage holder to hold the device when the device is placed in the vehicle beverage holder.
Each of the previously defined embodiments may include a means for providing power to the cellular phone. Alternatively, the present invention may include a means for charging a cellular phone battery pack. The cellular phone may be associated with an internal speaker of the vehicle to provide for hands-free application. A voice-recognition feature with which the cellular phone may be equipped can also facilitate the hands-free application.
In each of the previously defined embodiments, the cylindrical body is made from an open-celled foam that permits the outer wall of the body to deflect. Consequently, when the device of the present invention is placed in a vehicle beverage holder, the outer wall of the cylindrical body frictionally engages the inner wall of the vehicle beverage holder to secure the device in place, even while the vehicle is in motion. A cellular phone or other electronics device may then be held by the inventive device.